Brazil Facts.

With its vast expanse of land with an amazing variety of natural landscapes, people and cultural diversity, Brazil is an adventurer and backpacker’s paradise. From waterfalls to beaches to canyons to rain forests, Brazil has it all. It is one of the largest in its collection of biodiversity with many unique animals and plants that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. It is just teeming with culture. You don’t need to wait for a fiesta or celebration to experience the energy, liveliness, and the friendliness of Brazilians. They have great nightlife, amazing food and an endless list of sites to see, whether natural, historical or cultural. You will never run out of things to do or places to see in beautiful Brazil.

Important and Interesting Facts about Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in South America.

Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world by both land area and population.

The name Brazil comes from an Amerindian word Brasil, which describes a dark rosewood type common in the country. At a time, the wood was Brazil’s main export and thus gave the country its name. Since 1968 however, the export of Brazilian rosewood has been banned.

One of the most famous mountains in the world is the Corcovado located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro weighs 635 tons, is 38 meters high including its pedestal and was named one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” in 2007.

Brazil is considered one of the most biodiverse places in the world because its rainforests are home to more than 1,000 bird species, 3,000 fish species and many mammals and reptiles such as alligators, freshwater dolphins and manatees.

The Amazon River flows through Brazil, it is the 2nd longest river in the world (after the Nile).

The world’s best beach – according to TripAdvisor – is Baia do Sancho, in Brazil. It is found in the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, just over an hour by air from Natal. Here, 21 islands form a marine park that draws divers from far and wide to see green and hawksbill turtles, whales, lemon and reef sharks, clownfish, anemones and parrotfish.

Oscar Niemeyer, the chief architect of Brasilia’s public buildings, has designed more than 500 structures, most of which can be found in Brazil. The distinctive Cathedral of Brasilia is one of his most famous. It features 16 90-ton columns and a 66-foot bell tower, entrance is via an underground tunnel, and inside are three angels suspended by steel cables.

Tours of Brazil’s shanty towns, or “favelas”, have become popular in recent years. Among the most famous is colourful Santa Marta in Rio de Janeiro which has been visited by the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna and Beyonce.

Cool, Funny, and Fun Facts about Brazil

Osama Bin Laden-themed bars are something of a trend in Brazil. Well, there’s at least two, anyway. Bar do Bin Laden in Sao Paulo – run by an Osama lookalike – and Caverna do Bin Laden, or “Bin Laden’s Cave” – can be found just in Niteroi, around 25 kilometres north of Rio de Janeiro.

Brasilia looks like an aeroplane from above.

The most popular surname in Brazil is Silva.

Brazil has more than 4,000 airports – more than any other country other than the US.

Fishermen in Laguna, in the southeast of Brazil, are able to use dolphins to help them catch dinner. The animals will herd fish towards waiting nets, even flicking their head to indicate that the trap has been set. The practice has been going on for generations, the fishermen say, but has only recently been reported by Western media.

The first major Brazilian movie star in Hollywood, Carmen Miranda, was discovered by a Hollywood producer while singing in the Urca casino in Rio de Janeiro.

It was the 9th highest number of billionaires in the world.

Every city in Brazil has at least one soccer stadium.

Considered to have the largest collection of beautiful and unusual flowers in the world.

The world’s leading source of precious and semi-precious stones.

They will host the 2016 Olympics.

Jardim Gramacho in Brazil, the world’s biggest landfill, is the size of about 247 football fields.

Historical and Cultural Facts about Brazil

Brasilia, the country’s capital, took just 41 months to build, from 1956 to 1960 (Rio had been the capital for the previous 197 years). The World Cup was awarded to Brazil nearly seven years ago, but doubts remain about whether it will be ready in time.

Brazil has been the world’s largest exporter of coffee for 150 years. It supplied around 80 per cent of the world’s coffee in the 1920s; that figure has fallen to around a third.

Brazil’s official birthday as a country occurred on September 7, 1822, when Prince Pedro refused to return to Portugal. He announced the Grito de Ipiranga by throwing down his sword and shouting, “Independence or death!” Although free of Portugal’s hold, Brazil remained a monarchy until its declaration of independence as a republic in 1889.

On Brazil’s modern flag, the green represents the forests of Brazil, the yellow rhombus reflects its mineral wealth, and the blue circle and stars depict the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of November 15, 1889, when Brazil declared itself a republic.

Francisco de Orellana, a 16th century explorer, became the first European to travel the entire Amazon from Peru through Brazil in 1541. He was fascinated by the Indian women warriors who lived alone and would later be dubbed “Amazons.”

The earliest pottery found in the Western Hemisphere, radiocarbon dated at 8,000 years old, was excavated from the Amazon basin near present-day Santarém in Brazil.

The first official tourists arrived in Brazil on January 1, 1502, as a part of a Portuguese exploratory voyage led by André Gonçalves, who named the bay where they landed Ria de Janeiro (Bay of January). The Bay itself was later renamed Guanabara, and Rio de Janeiro became the main city on the bay.

The first official tourists arrived in Brazil on January 1, 1502, as a part of a Portuguese exploratory voyage led by André Gonçalves, who named the bay where they landed Ria de Janeiro (Bay of January). The Bay itself was later renamed Guanabara, and Rio de Janeiro became the main city on the bay.

The Rio Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous attractions in Brazil. It attracts thousands of tourists yearly, but it is also a tradition for Brazilians who often spend the year prior to the Carnaval preparing for it.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Brazil with the national team consistently among the best in the world, winning the World Cup a record 5 times.

A Brazilian national treasure, the historic Teatro Amazonas (Amazon Opera House) in Manaus was assembled in 1896 from panels shipped from overseas. It has an iron frame built in Glasgow, Scotland; 66,000 colored tiles from France; and frescoes painted by the Italian artist Domenico di Angelis.